


On Cruelty and Confusion

by Torchlite



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Confused Yuuri, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, everyone is confused, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-30 06:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8521393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Torchlite/pseuds/Torchlite
Summary: The timers show three sets of numbers: the wearer's heart rate, their soulmate's heart rate, and the number of heartbeats until they see each other in person. Viktor's timer goes off the moment he lays eyes on Yuuri. Yuuri's does not. Viktor is determined to use the sixty-two million heartbeats left on Yuuri's timer to convince him it doesn't decide their fate.Yuuri sees the zero on Viktor's timer and assumes he has a soulmate waiting for him to come home. He just wants to make it through the (approximately) two years until he finally gets the same. He can't help but wish it was Viktor.





	1. Missed Connections

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a completely self-indulgent story, but don't expect it to resolve without some angst and confusion. I tried to put my own little spin on the tried-and-true soulmate timer au, but it's a little convoluted, so bear with me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri ignores Viktor and Viktor is rightly distraught by it. Yuuri is just distraught in general.

There were four undisputed facts when it came to the timers:

  1. In ideal circumstances they showed three numbers: the subject’s heart rate, their soulmate’s heart rate, and the heartbeats until they met, measured by the subject’s heart
  2. Everyone had one and was born with them, even those without a soulmate, in which case it showed just one heart rate counter, but they could be surgically removed without consequence to physical health.
  3. The idea of soulmates was subjective. It could be romantic, platonic, or even a hateful relationship. Soulmates did not mean happy.
  4. If a timer declared two soulmates would never meet, they never would, and if by contrast it prophesied they would, it couldn’t be avoided



In light of the fourth fact, Viktor’s day was only going to get better, because his heart was eating up those numbers with startling speed. Being an athlete, his resting heart rate was low enough that he had estimated he had almost an hour before he met his soulmate, but he hadn’t taken into account his nerves, and suddenly that almost-hour looked very small. Torn between the thrill of having just skated in, and won, the grand prix finals, and the nervous excitement that was burning in the pit of his stomach, it wasn’t any surprise that the numbers were ticking down so fast.

Would he be a fellow figure skater? The possibility brought a smile to Viktor’s face, but he tried not to get his hopes up, because it could just as easily be any other person who had come to watch or a reporter, though the low resting heart rate during training season paired with peaks that could be from practice said otherwise. He looked down at his timer, embedded in the skin of his inner wrist and stared at his soulmate’s heart rate. A hundred! It was so high! Was it because they were nervous too? Viktor felt a thrill run through him and he hummed pleasantly.

“I can’t believe you’re letting your stupid soulmate distract you! What if you’d lost focus and messed up?” Yuri’s abrasive voice chased away the dreamy reverie Viktor had fallen into as they walked “Who cares about soulmates so much anyways?”

Viktor smiled down at him patronizingly, earning a glare from the younger skater “You’re just jealous because you don’t have a soulmate!” He sang the words teasingly. He only brought this up because he knew it didn’t really bother Yuri.

Yuri’s timer only showed his own heart rate, so it was really just a flashy heart rate monitor (especially so ever since Yuri got leopard-print skin to apply to it). Not having a soulmate wasn't uncommon, but people tended to avoid ever bringing up the matter. The official explanation was that some souls simply took a break before being reborn or something so technically Yuri did have a soulmate, they just didn't exist in the right time frame.

“I’ll never understand the hype and I don’t want to.” Yuri muttered, almost under his breath, but loud enough that Viktor laughed in response. Nothing could put a damper on his mood, not even Yuri’s cynical outlook.

Viktor cleared his throat and forced himself to be serious “Yuri, about your free performance, the step sequence could use more—“

“I won, so who cares?” Yuri replied, clearly annoyed by the critique “Quit nagging, Viktor.”

To Viktor’s petty delight, their coach, Yakov, walked up just in time to hear Yuri’s bratty response. Poor kid.

“Yuri! You can’t talk that way forever!” Yakov scolded him angrily. He continued yelling and Viktor found himself with another moment to fall away into his silent soulmate-musings.

It took him a moment to feel the gaze on him, and he turned around with a charming smile, fully expecting a fan too nervous to approach him directly. And how right he was! The black-haired man was staring at him with a strange look on his face, so Viktor decided to ease his discomfort by calling out to him,

“Commemorative photo?” He offered brightly, his eyes shining with good cheer. The other man blushed heavily and actually looked a little deflated. Viktor turned more fully towards him and held up a hand invitingly “Sure.” At this, the man inhaled sharply, eyes widening and, if possible, his blush deepening.

Viktor almost missed it, the faint but persistent buzz against his inner wrist. He blinked, and then his mouth fell open slightly. His wrist suddenly felt like it weighed a ton as he brought it into sight. Zero heartbeats to go. Standing directly in front of him was his—wait, where was he going? His soulmate was walking away from him without a word! Viktor stared after him, too shocked to say anything at all. It took him a moment to regain his senses, and finally he called out after him

“Wait!”

But the black-haired man was too far to hear him now, and Viktor felt like his feet were suddenly cemented to the floor. He looked back down at the timer, to check again, to confirm what had already seen. That man was his soulmate. He watched his own heart rate jump, and felt it in his chest, but his soulmate’s heart rate, which had become extremely high, slowed and steadied as though he hadn’t just done what amounted to leaving Viktor at the altar! How could his soulmate just walk away like that? Had Viktor offended him somehow? Was he one of those people who spent their lives avoiding their soulmates?

Behind him, Yakov continued to yell at Yuri, but it was like he was listening through water. The world was spinning and for a moment Viktor thought he might actually faint, but he regained himself enough to turn to face his coach and Yuri,

“I’m leaving.” Viktor told them shakily, swallowing his anxiety to try to steady his voice.

Yakov paused in his lecture to glance at Viktor disbelievingly “There’s still interviews to be done!”

Yuri shot him an incredulous and uncertain look “What happened to being in a good mood over that damn timer? I thought you wanted to meet your soulmate here or something.”

Viktor held out a shaking arm, presenting his timer to them “I did. I think.”

Apprehensively, given the taboo around purposefully looking at another’s timer, they peered down at it, both reacting with muted surprise at the zero staring back at them.

“So you did.” Yakov confirmed with a nod, not looking too terribly happy about it. The coach had warned Viktor many times not to let his soulmate take him away from doing what he really loved: figure-skating. But Viktor knew in his heart his soulmate would never make him choose between his two loves! Their bond would be unconditional! Or… he had thought that would be the case, but suddenly all his idealistic dreams were starting to look bleak.

“So?” Yuri prompted, somehow managing to sound both impatient _and_ disinterested “Where is she?”

“He.” Viktor corrected quickly, garnering a raised brow from the younger skater “I… don’t actually know where he went.” The confession made his vision swim again, and his eyes stung with the threat of tears “He looked at me, and then walked away.” People didn't do that, they didn't walk away from their soulmates. People didn't walk away from Victor under _normal_ circumstances, let alone look him dead in the eye and reject him so coldly.

“Oh.” Yuri replied after a long moment of heavy silence.

“Yeah. Oh.” Viktor echoed softly. He looked over his shoulder at the door where his soulmate had disappeared. Oh was definitely right.

* * *

“Yuri,”

Yuuri glanced around in surprise at hearing his name spoken in the voice of his idol. To his shock, Viktor Nikiforov was standing just meters away, advising Yuri Plisetsky on his performance. Only briefly did his eyes fall on the younger of the pair, feeling shame well up in his throat, remembering how Yuri had berated him in the bathroom earlier, calling on him to retire.

“About your free performance, the step sequence could use more—“

“I won, so who cares?” Yuri interrupted “Quit nagging, Viktor.”

Yuuri felt a spark of anger in his chest at Yuri's rudeness. The pair approached their coach, and to Yuuri’s petty satisfaction he didn’t look happy with Yuri’s nonchalant attitude either.

“Yuri! You can’t talk that way forever!” Yuri’s coach scolded him harshly, leading into a long lecture Yuuri had no interest in eavesdropping on, because he was busy staring at his long time idol, Viktor.

How long had he dreamed of skating on the name ice as Viktor Nikiforov? Failing had never been part of that dream. To his shock and mild horror (and admittedly, pleasure), Viktor turned to look at him, flashing him a winning smile that took Yuuri’s breath away.

“A commemorative photo?” Viktor asked. It felt like a punch to Yurri’s stomach: Viktor didn’t recognize him as a fellow competitor. He thought he was just a fan (and while he’d be right about the fan part, it hurt to be made out to be _just_ that). Yuuri just knew he was blushing something fierce. Viktor took his silence as hesitation and held out a hand “Sure.”

Yuuri inhaled sharply and didn’t hesitate in turning around and walking away as briskly as he could manage.

Hisashi Morooka called after him uncertainly “Katsuki-kun? You don’t want a picture with Viktor?”

He didn’t turn around, not even as he felt Viktor’s stare bore into the back of his skull. No one could understand the humiliation that had taken hold in him. The frigid air outside greeted him like an old friend, soothing his face still burning with blush. He wanted to curl up in a dark alley and not move for a month, so that when he came back, everyone would be too preoccupied with his disappearance to remember his failure. But that wasn’t how things worked, he had a lot to sort out and it was time to finally go home. He'd been gone too long, long enough that he hadn't been with his dog in his last years (a regret he was sure would plague him for some time). He felt his heartbeat steadying and he glanced down at his timer to watch it drop as he concentrated on breathing evenly.

He couldn’t help but notice his soulmate’s heart rate was unusually high. Usually it was so low, presumably because they were an athlete, so it was odd to see it as high as it was. He hoped his soulmate wasn’t distressed, one half of the pair having a bad day was enough!

Despite the elevated rate, watching his soulmate’s heart rate was soothing, and he felt himself calming down considerably. It was tangible proof that he was worth something to _someone._ Someone watched his heart too, smiled down at their timer imaging what the person on the other end might be like, like he had done a million times. Of course a good portion of those fantasies had included Viktor on the other end, but that was beside the point.

It would be a relief to put a face to the heart. Only Sixty-two million nine hundred and eight thousand five hundred and thirty-two beats to go. Roughly two year. He could survive two more years, even if nothing changed at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story required me to do actual math. Somehow that shocked me. Anyway I don't have a time frame in mind for finishing this, but I have something resembling a second chapter ready to be edited. None of this is beta'ed and editing my own work is hard, so I'm sorry if it was a little rough around the edges.


	2. Refocus, Revitalize, Rise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Viktor decide to stop feeling sorry for themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some potentially confusing perspective switching in this chapter, as the two perspectives we move between throughout the chapter aren't concurrent. Yuuri's inner monologue is the italics. As a result this chapter is shorter and reads a bit like an interlude, but I have two more chapters written (one from the middle of the story but whatever it's a cute chapter, look forward to it), so you can expect the next chapter to come out soon! It's not like I should be studying for my midterms or anything heh..

In his spare time, Viktor came up with endless reasons why his soulmate had walked away: he was already dating someone, he didn’t feel his timer go off, he was star-struck by the fact that his soulmate was Viktor Nikiforov, so on and so forth. But none of the reasoning felt solid. Soulmates weren’t always romantic (though Viktor had _every_ intention of having a romantic soulmate), the timer was impossible to miss because it just kept buzzing insistently until you looked at it, and the last one was plausible, but wouldn’t he instead be thrilled? Certainly it was every fan’s dreams, Viktor had met many who stared at their wrists like they'd been betrayed by fate when their timers didn't miraculously go off upon meeting their idol.

Viktor found himself somewhat more empathetic now that it seemed fate had cheated him too. By no means was he planning to just let his soulmate disappear on him, but the idea of tracking him down was sort of overwhelming. He knew he should start with checking the other skaters that attended the competition, that was easiest, but for now he was a little busy feeling sorry for himself. Eventually someone (heaven forbid someone from the press) would notice his timer had run down despite how rude it was to try and check someone else’s timer, and there would be a lot of questions that he couldn’t answer. Viktor generally felt very unsettled by his situation.

 _There was no use staying depressed and humiliated. Not when those feelings could keep him from the ice. Refocus. Look elsewhere to regain his passion. Return to his roots. Viktor was his roots._ Copying him _was his roots. Yuuri tilted his head back, lips parted as he began the routine._

How could his soulmate not even say anything? It was infuriating to know nothing apart from the fact that his soulmate had turned heel on him. It was enough to drive anyone crazy! And to dry up the last dredges of his inspiration, not to mention his focus.

_Yuuri immersed himself in the movement of the choreography, tucking his insecurities and shame deep inside himself where it couldn’t bother him. No distractions, not when he was imitating Viktor. In his mind’s eye, he saw himself skating alongside his idol, on the same ice and on the same level. He landed the quad imperfectly, but he didn’t hesitate to continue. Embarrassment was for another day._

Viktor reclined indulgently on his couch, Makkachin curled up around him breathing softly. On a whim, he decided to check his social media, and was surprised to find his inbox on every social media site he had ever joined overflowing with some variation on _You have to see this!_ with a video link included. It couldn’t hurt to watch, especially since it seemed like the entirety of his corner of the internet consisted of it.

_Already short of breath. Pathetic. Shake it off and keep moving, ignore it and push forwards. Endurance was his strong suit. He couldn’t let himself falter. The movements had to look effortlessly fluid; languid, graceful. Ironically, Yuuri felt most himself when he was emulating his idol. What did that say about his sense of identity? He moved into a spin, feeling detached from his clumsy performance at competition. As long as he wasn’t himself, he could be great._

Intrigued, he clicked on the link and waited for the video to load. Apparently another skater had attempted his free skate. When it did load, his eyes widened and he audibly gasped: it was him! It was his soulmate! Viktor was spellbound, watching with an unreadable expression, unsure of how exactly to feel about this development. He couldn’t believe he had been so dense! He had definitely and most assuredly offended his soulmate by offering him a photo. How hadn’t he recognized the man as one of the competitors? Basically the lowest ranking one, but still!

Katsuki Yuuri. He turned the name over in his mind as he watched. The way Yuuri’s body moved was so fluid, like the music was emanating from his body and he was being pulled along by it. Of course, there were technical mistakes that Viktor couldn’t help but note, but he felt… surprised. And Viktor liked being surprised as much as he enjoyed surprising others. Yuuri had taken the routine and made it fresh and innocent. He was making it _better!_ Even his mistakes somehow made it more endearing, and it was probably one of the most genuine displays on ice Viktor had ever had the pleasure of watching.

 _Not much further. Triple Lutz. A triple flip. And then into the final jump: a quadruple toe loop, followed by a triple toe loop. Yuuri felt that his body might give out on him (he had to regain his endurance as soon as possible), but he didn’t let it show. He moved into the last, glorious combination spin, mustering up every shred of confidence he still held to do the spin justice. He found himself very unexpectedly in the finishing pose, done and still standing. There was still hope for him yet. He had fallen hard on an international stage, but Yuuri excelled at getting back up. If only Viktor could see him now, he wouldn’t mistake him so easily as_ merely _a fan._

So this was his soulmate. This infuriating, enticing, _surprising_ man. Viktor had known all his life what he wanted from his soulmate, but suddenly it was urgent: he was going to chase down him and seduce him. But first… he was going to make him the best figure-skater the world over.

If Yuuri admired him enough to emulate him, then maybe abandoning Viktor in the lobby had been a case of shock. He must have felt totally overwhelmed when his timer went off, so much so that he had just turned around and walked away! He probably regretted it now. Maybe the video was his way of letting Viktor know he didn’t hate him!

He looked down at Makkachin, grinning widely “Makkachin, you’re never going to believe the good news! We’re going to Japan!”

_Maybe it was better though, that there was only one audience member to this performance. Yuuri wasn’t sure he was ready to face the world again so quickly, not with his ego still bruised. He smiled politely, vaguely embarrassed as Yuuko gushed about his performance. One day he would skate while Viktor watched, but let this time be for his own benefit, and as few eyes as possible._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As fun as it is to write in a non-linear back-and-forth style like this, this will be the only chapter that is written with moments from another perspective constantly breaking up the narrative. I'm an English major and we've been working with some very cool pieces recently that use perspective very liberally, which likely influenced this chapter fairly heavily.
> 
> Okay but! Um! The response to this has been so awesome! I haven't posted fanfiction anywhere since I was like, twelve (and I think we all know what our fanfiction was like when we were younger), so I'm thrilled to know people are enjoying this! Every comment left me an absolute mess just grinning like an idiot. So thank you to every single person who commented, left kudos, etc!!
> 
> Next chapter: Viktor shows up in Hasetsu and is confused by Yuuri's confusion.


	3. Single-player

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor and Yuuri get two totally different meanings from their conversation. Yuuri thinks he might be missing something here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to normal perspective switching! I don't have the next chapter totally finished because I jumped ahead to write some important scenes to help with planning the pace. No new chapter tomorrow, but I can almost guarantee within the week. From here on out I might be going to an update schedule to give myself time to write and edit each section to a polished level.

Yuuri stared up at the unnervingly familiar dog that had somehow made its way into his home and unceremoniously knocked him over. At first, he’d thought Vicchan had somehow risen from the dead, but this dog was a lot bigger than Vicchan had ever been. About the size of Viktor’s dog actually…

“Yuri, isn’t he just like Vicchan?” Yuuri’s father commented as he walked up.

Lots of people had poodles like Viktor’s, tons of people. The chances of it actually being Makkachin were next to zero… The large dog licked Yuuri's face and barked brightly.

“He came with a very good-looking foreign guest! He’s in the hot spring right now.”

A good-looking foreign guest? With a poodle? It still seemed kind of unlikely, but… Yuuri’s eyes widened and he gaped like a fish. He was on his feet in record time, as clumsy and destructive in his course towards the hot spring as a drunken bull.

“What’s wrong?” His father called after him, but Yuuri didn’t stop to explain.

He barreled out of the door to the hot spring, skidding to a halt as he stared disbelievingly at what he was seeing. Viktor. Sitting in the family hot spring. Naked. So naked.

“Vi.. Viktor…!” Yuuri exclaimed, later he would realize how stupid he must have looked, breathing heavy with mouth wide open and his glasses fogged up, not to mention how red his face was “What are you doing here?”

Viktor stood up and Yuuri thought that he might actually die right there, standing in front of his naked idol. To make matter’s worse, he then began to _walk towards Yuuri_ , one hand extended towards him, shamelessly revealing his timer, almost as though presenting it to Yuuri. To his credit, Yuuri did try not to look down at the timer (or… anything else), but he couldn’t help it.

“Yuuri, starting today, I’m your coach.” Viktor told him matter-of-factly, an expectantly sly grin on his face.

Zero? Yuuri had never seen Viktor’s timer before, obviously, but he’d heard interviews that Viktor had given and the question of soulmates was brought up often. In fact, in the last interview Yuuri had seen, Viktor had claimed not to have met his soulmate yet. Had he lied? Did he meet his soulmate recently? To run off to another country after just meeting your soulmate would be cruel. Would Viktor do that? Yuuri had _a lot_ of questions pass through his mind in the span of a few seconds, and just as many emotions.

Viktor on the other, kept talking “I’ll make you win the Grand Prix Final.”

And then, to the great taxing of Yuuri’s heart, Viktor _winked_ at him, and Yuuri had the sinking feeling in his gut that that he was missing some crucial part of this interaction.

* * *

So this was the game they were going to play. He almost laughed when Yuuri asked why he’d come, because it was obvious: They were soulmates, so of course Viktor was going to chase him down! He'd half expected Yuuri to immediately begin apologizing for walking away when they had first met, but he had this shocked look on his face and was just staring and blushing. Viktor considered broaching the topic before Yuuri combusted, but there was something thrilling about this.

 Instead he stood up completely unashamed and held out his timer to Yuuri. He wanted Yuuri to be the one to say it, to admit they were soulmates, but it seemed the other man was determined to dance around the topic, and Viktor was beginning to feel this was a challenge. How long could they stare into each other’s eyes and not say it? The tension was exciting.

“Yuuri, starting today, I’m your coach.” He informed him, and though he couldn’t be totally sure with how fogged up Yuuri’s glasses were, Viktor swore Yuuri gave his exposed timer a good long look “I’ll make you win the Grand Prix Final.” _Say it,_ Viktor silently urged, _Bring up what we’re both thinking about._

And for good measure, Viktor made sure to throw in a wink so he his ulterior motives couldn’t be misunderstood.

“Huh?” Was all Yuuri said in reply, which really wasn’t fair at all, because they both knew exactly what was going on here, and Viktor was starting to feel frustrated. Actually, Yuuri looked like he wanted to scream, so maybe he was getting frustrated with Viktor for not bringing it up too.

Viktor sighed and shook his head with a small smile. Well, if Yuuri was too embarrassed to say something, that left it to Viktor to relieve the tension that was thick between them. Not the smoothest start to their relationship admittedly, but nothing Viktor couldn’t turn around. Just as he was about to finally break the silence, for the second time since they had met, Yuuri turned around and walked away.

Infuriating, enticing, and surprising at every turn it seemed. Viktor _tsk_ ed softly and smiled to himself. If Yuuri wanted to draw out this liminality, then so be it. Viktor would play his game and it would be all the sweeter when they finally named each other for what they were: _Soulmates._

* * *

Quietly unsettled, Yuuri watched Viktor sleep on the floor. He was still in denial over what was happening, but Viktor looked incredibly real and tangible sleeping only a few feet away. He had the inexplicable urge to reach out and touch the older man resting in front of him. That would be incredibly and wholly inappropriate, but Yuuri couldn't help the idea from crossing his mind more than once.

“Yuuri! Why is Viktor sleeping in one of the inn’s robes?!” Minako suddenly burst out as she entered the room.

Yuuri turned to look at her, not really sure how to answer “He soaked in the hot spring, had dinner, and then fell asleep…” He explained, shrugging like it was no big deal. On the contrary, it was a very big deal. The absolute biggest deal Yuuri could imagine.

“It’s big news in Russia.” Minako said in a tone of hushed awe, her gaze flitting between Yuuri and Viktor “He’s taking the next season off to consider his next move. They’re also saying that when he saw that video of you skating his routine he was struck by inspiration and that’s why he decided to be your coach!”

Yuuri’s eyes widened, and he stared at Minako in confusion. He’d inspired Viktor? That seemed completely impossible, it was Viktor who inspired Yuuri, not the other way around!

“Viktor came here because he chose you, Yuri. You brought him here!” Minako finished, her voice rising with resolve “That’s incredible!”

Viktor stirred in his sleep, rolling over to face away from them and Yuuri regarded the legendary skater carefully. His chest ached with confusion, and he put his hand over his heart as though he could steady it.

“Minako… Did you hear any news about Viktor meeting his soulmate recently?” Yuuri asked.

“No, why? Don’t tell me you’re hoping you have a shot at him!” The ballet teacher teased, grinning.

“Ah… No.” Yuuri lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper “I saw his timer today, and according to that, he did—meet his soulmate that is.”

“Ehh?” Minako gasped in surprise “No, I haven’t heard anything about that! Keeping it quiet doesn’t sound like Viktor. His soulmate must want to keep it out the press.”

“I couldn’t have inspired him so much that he abandoned his soulmate to come and coach me. Could I have?” Yuuri wondered aloud. It was an impossible idea.

Minako shrugged, looking unbothered “If Viktor was truly inspired, who could stop him? They’re probably waiting for him to come home.” She decided, then laughed “Ah! They must really hate you for taking him away from them!”

Yuuri smiled uncomfortably, trying to look amused by the idea “You think so?”

“Oh, definitely!” Minako nodded “In fact, I bet a lot of people feel like you’re stealing Viktor away!”

Before Yuuri could reply, they were both startled by a gentle sneeze. Viktor sat up and looked over his shoulder with half-lidded eyes. Yuuri felt his heart flutter in his chest and willed it to be steady.

“Oh, he’s awake.” Yuuri observed in surprise. He sure hoped Viktor hadn’t been awake to hear them discussing his soulmate.

Viktor blinked at them sleepily and held a half-asleep Makkachin possessively to his chest “I’m starving…” He murmured.

Yuuri watched in horror and fascination as the robe slid off one of Viktor’s shoulders. Somehow this was infinitely more attractive than the hot spring incident.

“He still wants to eat?” Minako gave Yuuri a disbelieving look.

Yuuri came to his senses and snapped to attention “Um…! What would you like to eat?” He asked, panicking more than he should have.

Viktor smiled suggestively “As your… coach, I’d like to know what your favourite food is, Yuuri.”

“What?” The real question was, what was with that pause before calling himself Yuuri’s coach? To think he might be having seconds thoughts so quickly…

* * *

One extra large pork cutlet bowl later, Viktor cradled his empty bowl happily and listened to Minako and Yuuri talk.

“Yuuri gains weight easily, so he was only allowed to eat it after he won a competition. Right?” She turned to Yuuri, who ducked his head in embarrassment.

“Oh? So have you eaten this pork cutlet bowl recently?” Viktor questioned. Judging by Yuuri’s current physique, he had perhaps indulged in a few too many, but who could really blame him? They were delicious.

“I eat it often!” Yuuri told him with a pleased smile, as though remembering those many pork cutlet bowls.

Viktor raised an eyebrow and smirked “Why? You haven’t won anything.”

Yuuri blanched and his smile froze on his face.

“With that pig’s body of yours, lessons would be meaningless.” Viktor explained, keeping his tone bright. He noticed the way Yuuri shifted to try and hide his extra fat and continued, tilting his head kindly “You need to get back to your weight at last year’s Grand Prix Final, at the least.” He paused, fixing Yuuri with a serious look “Or I can never coach you.” A little motivation never hurt anyone! And it was for Yuuri’s own good. If he wanted to win, their relationship would have to be brutally honest sometimes “Until then, no more pork cutlet bowls.” Of all the things Viktor had just said, this order seemed to cut Yuuri deepest, and he just stared back blankly “Alright, little piggy?”

Yuuri stood up and wobbled away. Viktor called after him,

“Can you move my luggage to the room to where I’ll be staying?” He asked, patting Makkachin’s head.

Yuuri turned around in surprise “Staying?”

“Staying!” Viktor confirmed cheerfully, standing up.

Between Yuuri’s family and Minako, they moved all of Viktor’s things into his room quickly and efficiently, and to Viktor’s delight they then left him alone with Yuuri.

“Wow! What a classic tiny room.” Viktor commented, trying to make conversation. Were they still going to pretend? Or was this the moment?

“Sorry about that. We only had an unused banquet hall available.” Yuuri explained from where he crouched resting on the floor.

 “You look anxious.” Viktor said softly, and paired it with a wink. This had to be the moment. He crouched down to Yuuri’s level so they were face to face “Yuuri. Tell me everything about you,” Viktor reached out and gently tilted Yuuri’s chin upwards so he was looking directly into Viktor’s eyes “I want to know about this city, your family, your friends. Everything.” He let his other hand slide down Yuuri’s arm until Viktor’s hand rested on top of Yuuri’s and their fingers intertwined.

Yuuri stared at him in disbelief. Maybe he hadn’t expected Viktor to be so forward, but they were soulmates and Yuuri wasn’t telling him to stop.

He leaned in until their noses were millimetres apart “Let’s build some trust in our relationship.” Viktor whispered.

Yuuri turned bright red and slid out of Viktor’s grasp, scuttling backwards like a frightened crab until he bumped up against the far wall.

“What? Why are you running away?” Viktor asked. This would be the _third time_ Yuuri had slid through his fingers!

“Uh! No reason!” Yuuri’s stuttered reply spoke legions. The poor man was shy! Completely understandable, going from admiring Viktor from afar to having Viktor moments from kissing you would be an adjustment for anyone.

Viktor smiled tenderly, but pressed on in his questioning. They had to get to know each other at some point, and Viktor had a lot of burning questions “Are you dating someone?” It would explain a lot, but it wouldn’t be an issue because as far as Viktor was concerned soulmate easily trumped any theoretical romantic partner “Don’t you think I have a right to know, as your coach?”

Yuuri looked away nervously “I… uh, well. I know it’s kind of old-fashioned, but I’ve been kind of holding out for my soulmate.” He bit his lip, looking embarrassed.

Viktor’s eyes widened fractionally, and he couldn’t help but lick his lips. This tasty morsel, completely his? It sounded too good to be true, but Yuuri was right in front of him, blushing and avoiding eye contact and basically being the perfect mix between adorable and irresistible. Mostly irresistible.

“But that’s still a long time away.” Yuuri added thoughtfully.

A long time…? Viktor’s train of thought halted just before delving into dangerous territory. Had Viktor heard Yuuri right? That couldn’t be right, not when they had obviously already met. It didn’t make sense for Yuuri to say that. It didn’t make sense that he hadn’t said anything about them being soulmates. It didn’t make sense that he had walked away in the first place.

It didn’t make sense until it did.

“How long?” Viktor asked, his voice catching his throat “How long until you meet your soulmate?” He asked more forcefully, desperately hoping that Yuuri would laugh and say he already had and then they could just be happy and together and fine and everything could make sense.

Everything made sense until it didn’t.

Yuuri was hesitant in his answer “Less than two years.”

Viktor didn’t know how to answer. He wanted to insist Yuuri was lying, or laugh at the absurdity of it all or cry out at the injustice, anything to fill the silence that had fallen between them. Instead, he spoke in a measured, controlled tone “I see.” It felt like the oxygen had been sucked out of the room, leaving Viktor breathless and dizzy for all the wrong reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see you guys in the comments wondering how the story will end, well let me tell you a secret: I have three possible endings I've come up with, and I haven't decided between them yet (a+ for bad planning). I need to decide for sure by chapter five, so I will be feeling out the mood in the comments to make my ultimate decision.  
> Thank you to everyone who left kudos or commented. There were definitely a few comments in particular that got me right in the heart (read: I cried) You are all the kindest and sweetest souls!
> 
> Next Chapter: Viktor adjusts his game plan and someone unexpected shows up.


	4. Quixotic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has a motive. Some are obvious, some are not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another wave of midterms has been successfully navigated, which means a new chapter! But Torchlite, you say, this chapter doesn't look that long, why did the word count jump? I'm glad you asked. It's because I'm the worst and I forgot to include a scene I prewrote in the last chapter so I rewrote the end to put it in. I updated the chapter yesterday, I think? So if you haven't read it, you don't have to because it ends on the same reveal, but I think it's better now, and like, twice as long which means twice the pre-reveal interaction.

So things hadn’t exactly gone according to plan. The plan being show up at soulmate’s home, share a tender embrace, and skate into the setting sun. At no point during this soulmate debacle had _anything_ gone according to plan, so obviously a new plan was in order. Thus far, the new plan consisted of many, many question marks and not much else.

It’d been a week, and it hadn’t been so bad because Viktor wasn’t actually coaching Yuuri yet. It gave Viktor the time and space to make sense of what was occurring. Not that it was making a whole lot of sense even after giving it some thought, but it didn't really matter. There were some things better left shrouded in mystery.

Viktor glided across the ice gracefully, trying to focus less on the issue at hand and more on skating. He’d put this program together for next season, but it had always sort of been his plan to take the year he met his soulmate off, so actually performing it hadn’t been likely from the start. It was nice to skate it anyway.

While it might have at first seemed that everything had changed, a lot was exactly same as before Viktor found out that Yuuri’s timer was a lying little bastard. They were still practical strangers, and Viktor was still going to seduce him, whether Yuuri expected it or not and regardless of what fate had to say about the matter. Plus there was still the matter of coaching Yuuri to a Grand Prix victory. So really, this only changed the time frame for one of those goals. In fact, it meant Yuuri _hadn’t_ rejected Viktor when they'd first met. From a particular angle, this was good news.

The plan didn’t have to change after all, just adjust. Viktor smiled with relief and skated with renewed confidence and ease. Yuuri was obviously already a fan, so how hard could it be to do things the old-fashioned way? Viktor had been with plenty of people without needing destiny’s help. Two years? He could do it in one, less even.

He moved into a jump, relishing in the thrill of leaving the ice and the familiar shock of returning to it. Yuuri would fall for him, Viktor would make sure of it, and by the time the Grand Prix Final arrived, he wouldn’t care that there were still heartbeats on his timer, because his heart would belong to Viktor.

“You look like you’re doing great, Viktor!”

That was the voice of exactly the wrong Yuri. Viktor slid to a stop and turned to face the voice and waved amicably at the young skater who stood at the edge of the rink “Yuri, you’re here? I’m surprised Yakov let you come!” And a little horrified too, considering Yuri knew exactly when and how Viktor had seen his soulmate, though not who they were. He glanced at Yuuri, who stood silently beside Yuri—Oh, them having the same name was going to get confusing “What do you want?”

Yuri’s expression darkened and he looked like he was going to explode with anger. Viktor smiled benignly “Judging by that look, I’m guessing I forgot some sort of promise I made.”

And Yuri made sure he knew exactly what he’d forgotten: apparently several years ago Viktor had promised that if Yuri won his Junior Grand Prix Final, then Viktor would choreograph his Senior Division debut. If Viktor had done the math, he never would have agreed, considering that this debut apparently fell on the year Viktor had always silently planned to take a hiatus.

While Yuri went on and on about promises and fairness and the such, Viktor lost interest and shifted his focus to Yuuri. He’d lost the weight he’d gained, so training could commence as soon as possible, which was good. Yuuri would need as much time as possible to build up his confidence and skills. Viktor stepped off the rink to join the two skaters and slipped on his coat. Yuuri stood by patiently, looking a little shell-shocked by the unexpected arrival. Yuuri always seemed at least a little shocked. Maybe it was just his face?

How shocked would Yuuri look, Viktor wondered idly, if he closed the space between them and kissed him?

“Hey, are you even listening to me?” Yuri demanded. And no, admittedly Viktor hadn’t really been listening.

“Sorry, Sorry. But you knew I was the forgetful type, right?” Viktor placated.

This made Yuri twitch with annoyance “Yeah. I’m painfully aware of that. But a promise is a promise!” He seethed “You’ll choreograph my new program!” He stepped forward in his passion and spread his arms dramatically, hitting Yuuri square in the chest “Let’s go back to Russia!”

Yuuri turned to look at the angry skater, his eyes wide and brimming with uncertainty and anxiety. Viktor had near uncontrollable urge to reach out and comfort him. It made his chest ache to do just the opposite and actually consider Yuri’s request. It wasn’t fair to Yuuri that Viktor had come with ulterior motives, but Viktor couldn't just walk away from him. There’d already been enough walking away from each other in the short time they’d known one another. There was, however, one option that could satisfy everyone (and mostly just satisfy Viktor's self-indulgent streak).

“Okay! I’ve decided!” He told them, and they stiffened, leaning towards him in anticipation of his answer “Tomorrow, I’ll choreograph a program for both of you to the same music I’m using in my short program.”

They both stared at him in horror and surprise and started voicing their reservations at the same time.

 “This piece has several different arrangements.” Viktor explained quickly “I’ll think of a different program for each of you, of course.” He continued, triumphant at his solution to the problem “I’ll reveal the programs in one week!” Feeling perhaps a bit melodramatic, he pointed at the pair decisively “You’ll compete to see who can surprise the audience more!”

Yuuri looked absolutely horrified by this development and shook his head vehemently “Let’s take a step back here!” He urged nervously, holding his hands out in front of him defensively “I don’t want to be punished for losing…”

Yuri on the other hand looked confident now and interrupted the other skater “Viktor will do whatever the winner says! If those are the terms, I’m in!” He announced arrogantly. 

Viktor beamed at them, eyes bright with glee “Great! I love this short of thing!” It was the perfect way to begin to push Yuuri to his full potential, and Viktor already knew exactly which arrangement each of the pair would get. He knew it would surprise them, and it made Viktor positively ecstatic!

* * *

“You know he’s going to abandon you to come back to Russia soon anyway.”

Yuuri glanced at Yuri in surprise. They’d been walking in vaguely polite but tense silence as they headed to the inn. Viktor had told them he’d head back soon and sent them on their way, so it was just the two of them. Admittedly, Yuuri had expected Viktor to start coaching him as soon as possible and the delay made him anxious enough as it was without Yuri chipping away at the sliver of confidence he had left.

Yuri continued coldly “He’s having some sort of soulmate crisis and he’s distracting himself by playing coach to you, and he’s letting it get in the way of his career _and_ mine. But he'll get over it, and then he'll forget about you.”

Yuuri swallowed thickly. He’d had a feeling there was more to Viktor’s arrival than just being inspired by a video of Yuuri skating. The mention of soulmates made him pick at the frayed edges of his gloves, which modestly covered his timer, and he wanted to ask more because he'd been burning with curiosity ever since he saw Viktor's zero, but it wasn’t his place to pry into his idol's personal life.

“Maybe.” Yuuri replied “But he’s here now, isn’t he?” A note of uncertainty entered his voice, and they both knew what he meant was  _for now._

“I’m just saying that this is a waste of time. I’m going to win no matter what choreography he gives me.” Yuri’s eyes filled with steely determination “Then he’ll come back to Russia with me and stop wasting his time with you.”

Yuuri sighed and stared at his feet as they walked. On the level of technical skills, Yuri probably had the upper hand, but it was about surprising the audience, right? They’d just have to wait and see. And it wasn’t like Yuuri was planning to go down without a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the first draft of this chapter it was basically angst, but something felt wrong about having Viktor mope about for an entire chapter and a few attempts later I have something resembling what I want to get across.  
> Also I had an idea and it might be a stupid one, but what if I wrote all of Yuuri's performance scenes in the style of chapter two? Jumping between Viktor reacting and Yuuri's inner monologue that is. It's a distinctive style of writing that I really enjoy. It's probably a bad idea, but I might do it anyway.
> 
> Is anyone else completely shocked by episode 7 though, holy shit. I can't wait to get my grubby little fanfiction-writing hands all over it. In this world of subtext and queerbaiting, a light shines...
> 
> Next Chapter: "Eros?!"


End file.
